Obituary for Helen Lorraine Soder

Helen Lorraine Soder, 93, passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 25, 2023. Services will be held on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, at 11:00 at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Coralville Ia.  

Helen was born June 11, 1930, in Kansas City, MO to D.J. and Edna (Rogge) Knueppel.  On Nov. 27, 1959, she was united in marriage to Dean Soder in Fort Dodge, IA.  Their union was blessed with a daughter, Jill and a son, Hans.

Helen did most of her growing up in Hampton, IA.  She was one of ten brothers and sisters.  Helen attended nursing school in Kansas City and began her career there as an ER nurse, eventually moving on to Fort Dodge as a floor nurse where she met her future husband, Dean Soder. Helen was a talented seamstress who also enjoyed knitting, crocheting, and embroidering.  She was also interested in organic gardening.  She often tended a large garden and canned and froze her harvests.  She was also fond of baking, playing games and cards, and was an excellent solver of crossword puzzles.  Helen will be remembered as a truly genuine, kind, and generous woman by her family and friends.    

Those left to cherish Helen’s memory are her daughter Jill (Mike Richards) Soder-Richards of Coralville, IA, her son Hans (Martha Rollin) Soder of Tallahassee, FL; grandchildren Hannah and Charlotte Richards and Victor and Augie Soder, and a beloved sister Doris Kurth of Lenexa, KS.

Helen was proceeded in death by her husband of 52 years, L. Dean Soder; and 6 brothers and 2 sisters.

Memorial contributions may be made to Compassus Hospice at www.CompassusLivingFoundation.org or Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Coralville, IA.